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Foul Gas x 1week before mentrual period every month

I am 32 y/o female 5'7", 150lbs, 2 children and happily married. I do not take any medication or BC pills. I have minimal stress. (many blessings!)My problem: Every month approx one week prior to onset of my period...I experience horrible foul smelling flatulence.  It is embarrasing and needless to say hard to ignore. 3-4x times a year it is accompanied by severe and sudden onset diarrhea, migraine, and other common PMS symptoms.  In researching this topic, I find much on PMS symptoms and treatment...but little mention of this particular problem other than "IBS" or "bowel changes". I do not have mood swings (even husband agrees) but, I am often more tired, clumsy-(I drop things), stutter, and have uncomfortable back pain DURING my period.  What is causing this smell? I am not kidding when I say it is THE foulest odor you can imagine and for 3-4 days of the 1 week it is frequent. Obviously, I try to "hold it in" if in room with others and it is not explosive but, it is so foul I even wake up in the middle of the night because the smell has woken me. I have what I would consider "normal" gas normally.  Please help...I want to know the specific physiologic reason it occurs and what I can do about it.  Thank you.
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Seeing advertisements for sanitary products, one would imagine that tampons solve all our problems, with a few painkillers perhaps.  What's evident is, that myth is a half-picture and this normal female process suffers from taboo even in medical realms and marriages.
Thank you Moony3005231 - I long thought that the finale of the cycle must be aggravating the digestive system something rotten; so prostaglandins are at the bottom of it. For me this can continue well into the bleed.  After reading the helpful above discussion, I'll begin evening primrose again to try and pin down why it's such a problem when it is.  For me I know it's not lack of greens or too much processed food or excess dairy that's for sure.  Thank you for the magnesium tip-off, though I think I'm not lacking that either.
The social side especially the intimate one looms large and I can't help but feel that our modern relationships & dwellings should be able to accommodate us women for all we contribute through the pervasive cycle.  Give us some space!
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Frank, if this is happening near or during that 'time of the month' for her and/or if she has irregular (as in, not everyday) bowels... This is not unusual for women with the above symptoms.  As in, she cannot help it and yes, the escaping gas is truly a surprise.

C.
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Avatar universal
Last night I was having bad smelling farts and I was keeping my distance from my boyfriend. I decided to look online and see if I could find some helpful information and found these posts. I also have a tendancy to get 1-2 days of stinky gas prior to my period and was glad to find I wasn't the only one and that there is some explanation for it. I took a Magnesium supplement, Drank 1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar diluted with some water, and took a probiotic capsule of 1 billion (i happened to have all these on hand). I didn't have any more bad farts. Not even 1. I didn't even notice having gas at all. I woke up this morning feeling great and wanted to pass on my experience in case it helps anyone else. Now I know what to do next time around. Thank you everyone for your suggestions. I thought I was going to spend the night on the couch, but instead I had a restful night in bed with my boyfriend without any embarrassing moments.
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Avatar universal
I am 34 years old and have the same problem.  It is a sulferous smell and usually one week before my cycle.  It doesen't seem to matter what I eat, I just have gas and it is horrible.  Trying to find all natural solutions. I don't use birth control. I noticed its worse since I've cut back on exercise because of a knee injury. Maybe that was helping and I was less aware of it.  Thanks to all the people who shared their stories.
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My post is purely anecdotal. I agree with this theory.  For months, I have significantly reduced my intake of caffeine, cheeses and milk products and noticed that the foul flatulence 1 week before my period was practically non-existent.  I also ate more veggies and less meat.  In the past month, literally 1 month, I had to take a trip back east and had started a bad cycle of the "old" diet- included more meat, cheese, milk, and this past week alone have been drinking coffee with some skim or soy and had pizza twice. It is one week before my period and the flatulence is back.  I'm now back home and can get back on my regimen of leafy greens, fruits, nuts and almond milk.  No more pizza!
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Avatar universal
Thank you so much for nailing that idiot where it hurts. Wonder if we should tell him that when a woman is in labor the pressure from that is equal to 53 bones fracturing at the same time. Bet he'd **** his pants before it got past the first stage of a period lol
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